sold under the trade name Certainty (Monsanto, St. Louis). Sulfosulfuron is labeled to control roughstalk bluegrass in creeping bentgrass tees and fairways ( Anonymous, 2005 ). However, tolerance of other cool-season turfgrass species to sulfosulfuron
2004 Velocity product label Valent U.S.A. Corp Walnut Creek, CA Anonymous 2005 Certainty product label Monsanto Company St. Louis, MO Askew, S.D. Beam, J.B. McCall, D.S. Barker, W
Creek, CA) and SULFO is labeled for use in turfgrass as Certainty™ (Monsanto, St. Louis, MO). Our previous research has shown that SULFO and BYS effectively control RBG ( Morton et al., 2007 ; Rutledge et al., 2009 ). For instance, BYS at 56 or 74 g
); that is, producers prefer outcomes that are known with certainty and are willing to pay to reduce the uncertainty. We accounted for producer preferences over various distributions of net returns by using the stochastic efficiency with respect to a
Backpropagation neural networks (BPNNs) were used to distinguish among 10 olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars, originating throughout the Mediterranean basin. Identification was performed on the basis of 17 phyllometric parameters resulting from image analysis. Different BPNN architectures were attempted and best performance was achieved using a 17 × 20 × 10 BPNN. Networks were tested with sets of phyllometric parameters not involved in the training phase. Results enabled identification with certainty all cultivars tested.
Organic and conventional fruits and vegetables contain compounds with important human health promoting effects. Whether fruits and vegetables grown via organic versus conventional production systems are superior in taste and nutrition, at present, is difficult to say with complete certainty. To ascertain possible quality differences and develop a definitive data base, direct comparative studies of organic vs. conventional produce requires following rigorous guidelines which includes 1) appropriate study approaches (retail market vs. farm vs. research center studies), and 2) standardized preharvest production site, harvest procedural, postharvest handling, and analytical methodology constraints.
Tuberization and stolonization of cuttings were used as a model system to assess response to photoperiod in segregating potato progenies. The progenies were from backcrosses of a diploid hybrid between Solanum tuberosum and the short day requiring S. berthaultii to both parent species. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analyses had been performed on these progenies as a part of other investigations. The RFLP maps were used to identify the loci controlling the photoperiod responses characterized by the cuttings. In the S. berthaultii backcross population, one locus appeared to control the response of cuttings only under long photoperiods, and coincided with a locus detected for stolonization on whole plants; a second locus was effective for tuberization under short photoperiods but was not detected with certainty under long photoperiods. Data analysis for the second backcross population is currently underway.
Temperature management is the most widely used method to extend the postharvest life of vegetables. Unfortunately, during less than optimal commercial conditions, certain commodities can be exposed to low, nonfreezing temperatures that may shorten their market life due to chilling injury (CI). CI is difficult to diagnose since not all commodities exhibit the same symptoms. Environmental factors may also affect the expression of CI The services of an expert are usually required to positively diagnose CI, however, experts are not always readily available, particularly during routine commercial handling. An expert system, a computer program that emulates a human expert's thought processes, will be developed to diagnose CI symptoms for several commodities. A prototype developed with Level5 Object, an expert system shell, will be presented. Diagnosis is determined by applying rules and certainty factors based on user responses to queries on the type and extent of visual symptoms. The applicability and advantages of this system will be discussed.
Abstract
I grew up on a small farm in Southeast Georgia in an era when things were very stable. Methods my dad used to scratch out a living during the depression years were very similar to those used by his dad a generation earlier. It was a world of isolation and loneliness, a world in which customs and traditions determined a person's way of life, a world in which proven ideas were discarded reluctantly and new ideas accepted even more reluctantly, but it was a comfortable period for a growing youngster because time seemed to stand still and the family roots were anchored firmly to the soil. Even though times were placid and change came slowly, it was a restless world as men tried to raise themselves from the depths of the depression. With this restlessness, people began to move from the land to the cities and technology began to move to the forefront. Thus, in less than a decade, the nation shook off the depression, fought a major war and launched an agricultural revolution that is now the envy of the world. Today, we live in a fast-paced world and we can never return to those “good old days” because they are gone forever – returning only occasionally in our dreams of days past. In today's world, the only sure thing is the certainty of change as we look to the future.
Potato is an important world crop with an abundant diversity of wild relatives for research and breeding. Over 100 tuber-bearing Solanum relatives of the cultivated potato occur naturally from southern Chile to the southwest United States. Only five of these have been reported in the United States, and only two exist with certainty (S. stoloniferum/fendleri and S. jamesii). The authors and colleagues have conducted expeditions in the southwest United States each season since 1992, collecting over 200 new germplasm samples. This work has greatly improved the representation of these species in the genebank with respect to geography and genetic diversity available to germplasm users worldwide. Corrected or refined collection site information now makes it possible to easily find these typically small populations for continued in situ study and sampling. Collecting experiences, often in contrast with conventional wisdom, have been documented for the benefit of future collectors. A broader sampling of the region has allowed studies of the association of eco-geo parameters with patterns of genetic diversity in an attempt to predict “hot spots” of diversity for future expeditions. Evaluation of these materials has resulted in the discovery of new useful traits—novel mutants, disease and pest resistances, and human nutritional compounds.